Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Meda (Polygonatum verticillatum), of the Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae) family. Erect perennial herb from a knotted fleshy rhizome, the lance-shaped leaves set in whorls up the stem, greenish bells hanging beneath; native range: Temperate Europe and across temperate Asia to the Himalaya, in the Indian range at 2000–3500 m in shady forest and open slope. Globally recognized as medā, vīrā, śrāvaṇī in Sanskrit, meda, salab misri (in trade) in Hindi, and whorled Solomon's seal in English. The part used is rhizome (root tuber). A jointed, fleshy, ivory rhizome, sweet and slippery with mucilage when chewed, faintly starchy.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
MEDA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- meda
- Scientific name
- Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All.
- Family
- Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae)
Form
- Part used
- rhizome (root tuber)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet (madhura)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- jivaniya (vitalising), brimhana, balya, vrishya (aphrodisiac), stanyajanana (galactagogue), and shukrala
Cautions
- Contraindications
- kapha conditions, weak digestion and heavy congestion — the sweet, unctuous root sits heavily on a low agni
- Toxicity
- no toxicity recorded for the rhizome in dose
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